Rickard’s Griller of Glory 2008

Griller of Glory 019

From Left: Bob Jenkins, James DiFore, Court Bethune

Yesterday was the day we crowned the first ever Rickard’s Griller of Glory at Dundas Square in Toronto. It was where beer met the grill –barbecuing with Rickard’s White and Red.

Three challengers, a.k.a ‘the Grillers of Glory’ entered into a competition where they were asked to BBQ their best recipes using both Rickard’s Red and White beers. The challengers, James DiFore, Bob Jenkins and Court Bethune, were given 30 minutes, ingredients (steak, shrimp, spices, veggies, etc), and a whole lotta beer in order to create the tastiest and more inventive recipes possible.

Griller of Glory 017

From Left: Mirella Amato, Alexa Clark, Kyle Rae, Phil Nyman

Once the 30 min were up, our expert panel of judges scrutinized and tasted the BBQ plates and decided on the winner. Our judges:

  • Phil Nyman: BBQ Chef and Owner, Phil’s Original BBQ restaurant
  • Mirella Amato: Proprietor of Beerology.ca and Certified Beer Judge
  • Alexa Clark: Editor and Publisher, CheapEats Toronto
  • Kyle Rae: Toronto City Councillor, Ward 27, Toronto Centre-Rosedale

This year’s Griller of Glory was griller #2 (below), Bob Jenkins, an accountant from Toronto — Way to go Bob! The lovely Rickard’s ladies presented Bob with a massive trophy and his own Napoleon BBQ.

Griller of Glory 045

There was also a second, special cook-off to benefit the Ontario Food Bank Association. Three Toronto firefighters battled it out on the grill for the glory of their fire stations! Again, the competitors had 30 min and were then judged immediately after. Captain Paul Beams took the top spot and was crowned Griller of Glory. Congrats to Paul, and thanks to Jim Morache and Damien Walsh for taking the time to BBQ for a great cause.

Griller of Glory 055

We also had a guest firefighter judge the boys…Peter Cooper from Station 134.

It was a great day of grilling despite a few rain drops, and a very entertaining day with many thanks to our fabulous emcee and chef, Michael Clive (below).

Some clips of the grillers, judges and Michael in action!

Adam Spence (below left) Executive Director, Ontario Association of Food Banks joined in the fun and accepted a donation of $1000.

Griller of Glory 063

As a final note, I’ll post some of Phil Nyman’s Rickard’s Red and White BBQing recipes soon. I plan to try a few out this weekend….would love to hear about your fav. Rickard’s recipes!

Check out more Rickard’s Griller of Glory info and pics:

Neighbourhood knowledge blog

Alexa Clark, Cheap Eats Toronto

Rannie Turrigan Photography

Flickr Photos

Have a safe and happy long weekend. Cheers!

Leave a response

Fields marked with a * are required.